The Boston Celtics added to their backcourt Tuesday night with the signing of veteran guard Dennis Schröder.
It gives the Celtics, who were in need of point guard help after trading Kemba Walker to the Oklahoma City Thunder, much-needed depth at the position. Schröder, who’s not expecting to enter the starting lineup, joins Marcus Smart, Payton Pritchard and a pair of newcomers in Josh Richardson and Kris Dunn.
The Celtics recently traded for both Richardson and Dunn, but some believe the addition of Schröder could mean Dunn’s tenure in Boston is quite short.
“Boston has been rumored to be testing the trade market for Kris Dunn and I would expect those talks to continue since there may not be enough room for regular minutes for Smart, Schröder, Richardson, Dunn and Pritchard under Ime Udoka,” MassLive’s Brian Robb wrote Tuesday.
The Celtics signed Schröder to a modest one-year deal worth $5.9 million, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Dunn is also under contract for just one season at a similar $5 million cap hit. Both are cheap, veteran options who do a lot of the same things well, despite the fact Schröder is more the point guard type Boston needed.
Schröder, 27, averaged 15.4 points on 43.7 percent from the field (12.5 attempts per game) with 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds in 32 minutes per game. Dunn, 27, enters his sixth season with a career average of 8.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals in 24.1 minutes per game.
It’s certainly possible for Boston to carry all five guards, especially given the fact neither Schröder, Dunn nor Richardson impact the C’s long-term financial flexibility. All are one one-year contracts with Richardson earning a fairly modest $11.6 base salary, as well.
